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Ian McKellen is a Actor, Writer and Executive producer British born on 25 may 1939 at Burnley (United-kingdom)

Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen
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Birth name Ian Murray McKellen
Nationality United-kingdom
Birth 25 may 1939 (85 years) at Burnley (United-kingdom)
Awards Laurence Olivier Award, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Annie Award

Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He is the recipient of six Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BIF Award, two Saturn Awards, four Drama Desk Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards. He has also received two Academy Award nominations, four BAFTA nominations and five Emmy Award nominations. McKellen's work spans genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. His most well known film roles include Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies and Magneto in the X-Men films.

McKellen was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1979, knighted in 1991 for services to the performing arts, and made a Companion of Honour for services to drama and to equality, in the 2008 New Year Honours. He was made a Freeman of the City of London in October 2014.

Biography

McKellen and his first partner, Brian Taylor, a history teacher from Bolton, began their relationship in 1964. Their relationship lasted for eight years, ending in 1972. They lived in London, where McKellen continued to pursue his career as an actor. For over a decade, he has lived in a five-storey Victorian conversion in Narrow Street, Limehouse. In 1978 he met his second partner, Sean Mathias, at the Edinburgh Festival. This relationship lasted until 1988. According to Mathias, the ten-year love affair was tempestuous, with conflicts over McKellen's success in acting versus Mathias's somewhat less-successful career. Mathias later directed McKellen in Waiting For Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2009. The pair entered into a business partnership with Evgeny Lebedev, purchasing the lease on The Grapes public house in Narrow Street.

In 2001, Ian McKellen received the Artist Citizen of the World Award (France).

In the late 1980s, McKellen lost his appetite for meat except for fish, and so mostly excludes it from his diet.

He has a tattoo of the Elvish number nine, written using Tengwar, on his shoulder in reference to his involvement in the Lord of the Rings and the fact that his character was one of the original nine companions of the Fellowship of the Ring. The other actors of "The Fellowship" (Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Sean Bean, Dominic Monaghan and Viggo Mortensen) have the same tattoo. John Rhys-Davies, whose character was also one of the original nine companions, arranged for his stunt double to get the tattoo instead.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006. In 2012, McKellen stated on his blog that "There is no cause for alarm. I am examined regularly and the cancer is contained. I've not needed any treatment."

He became an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church in early 2013 in order to preside over the marriage of his X-Men co-star Patrick Stewart to his then fiancée Sunny Ozell. McKellen was awarded an honorary degree by Cambridge University on 18 June 2014, becoming a Doctor of Letters.

He was made a Freeman of the city of London on Thursday 30 October 2014. The ceremony took place at Guildhall in London. McKellen was nominated by London's Lord Mayor Fiona Woolf, who said he was chosen as he was an "exceptional actor" and "tireless campaigner for equality".

Best films

Usually with

Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
(8 films)
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer
(5 films)
Stan Lee
Stan Lee
(6 films)
Fran Walsh
Fran Walsh
(6 films)
John Ottman
John Ottman
(4 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Ian McKellen (69 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Animal Crackers
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Adventure, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Children's films
Actors John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Ian McKellen, Danny DeVito, Sylvester Stallone, Wallace Shawn
Roles Horatio P. Huntington (voice)
Rating58% 2.9089452.9089452.9089452.9089452.908945
Animal Crackers follows a family whose life is turned upside down when they inherit a rundown circus and a mysterious box of Animal Crackers, which magically change the person who eats them into the animal they have eaten — including monkeys, giraffes, lions, tigers and bears. They must save the circus from being taken over by their evil uncle Horatio P. Huntington (McKellen).
Animal Crackers, 1h34
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Adventure, Animation
Actors John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Danny DeVito, Ian McKellen, Sylvester Stallone, Wallace Shawn
Roles Horatio P. Huntington (voice)
Rating58% 2.9089452.9089452.9089452.9089452.908945
Une famille hérite d'un cirque délabré et d'une mystérieuse boîte d'Animal Crackers qui changent par magie les personnes qui les mangent en l'animal qu'ils ont mangé (des singes, des girafes, des lions, des tigres, des ours, etc.). Lorsque leur oncle Horatio P. Huntington a pour complot de s’emparer du cirque à n’importe quel prix, c’est au tour de la famille Huntington de l’arrêter et de sauver le cirque d’entre ses mains.
The Good Liar
Directed by Bill Condon
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Actors Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen, Russell Tovey, Jim Carter, Mark Lewis Jones, Céline Buckens
Roles Roy Courtnay
Rating66% 3.349673.349673.349673.349673.34967
Roy Courtnay est un expert en arnaques. En surfant sur un site de rencontres, il fait la connaissance d’une riche veuve, Betty McLeish. Cette dernière lui ouvre son cœur et sa porte. Elle semble une proie facile. Mais Roy n’avait pas prévu de se prendre d’affection pour Betty.
Cats
Cats (2019)
, 1h50
Directed by Tom Hooper
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Fantastic, Comedy, Fantasy, Musical
Themes Films about animals, Films about music and musicians, Théâtre, Musical films, Films based on plays, Films based on musicals
Actors Judi Dench, Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, Rebel Wilson
Roles Gus, the Theatre Cat
Rating28% 1.411011.411011.411011.411011.41101
D'après la comédie musicale Cats. Chaque année, dans les ruelles sombres de Londres, un bal est organisé par Deuteronome lors d'une nuit extraordinaire et pleine de magie. Des chats tentent leur chance pour être l'élu, celui qui pourra entrer au paradis de la Jellicosphère, afin de renaître dans une nouvelle vie.
All Is True
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Genres Drama, Historical
Themes Films about writers
Actors Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Lydia Wilson, Gerard Horan, Alex Macqueen
Roles Earl of Southampton
Rating62% 3.1476353.1476353.1476353.1476353.147635
Le 29 juin 1613, le Théâtre du Globe que dirigeait William Shakespeare est entièrement détruit par un incendie. C'est le prétexte qui pousse le dramaturge au faîte de sa gloire à décider de cesser d'écrire. Il quitte Londres et rejoint son village de naissance Stratford-upon-Avon où il retrouve sa famille qu'il n'avait pas vu depuis de nombreuses années.
Beauty and the Beast, 2h9
Directed by Bill Condon
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Fantastic, Musical theatre, Romantic comedy, Fantasy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Films about music and musicians, Politique, Musical films, Political films, Children's films, Mise en scène d'une plante, Films about royalty
Actors Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Emma Thompson, Josh Gad, Ian McKellen
Roles Cogsworth
Rating70% 3.5471553.5471553.5471553.5471553.547155
À la fin du XVIII siècle, dans un château proche d'un petit village français, vivait un jeune prince capricieux, égoïste et insensible. Pour avoir refusé d'abriter une fée déguisée en vieille mendiante, il est condamné à vivre sous l'apparence d'une bête monstrueuse jusqu'à ce qu'il puisse aimer une femme et s'en faire aimer en retour, ce qui le délivrerait du sortilège qui a frappé son château et ses habitants. Mais les années passent et la Bête perd peu à peu tout espoir de rompre un jour la malédiction.
X-Men: Apocalypse, 2h24
Directed by Bryan Singer
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Superhero films, Super-héros inspiré de comics, Children's films
Actors James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Hoult
Roles Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (Older)
Rating67% 3.3962153.3962153.3962153.3962153.396215
Since the dawn of civilization, Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant was worshiped as a god. Amassing the powers of many other mutants, he became immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants to cleanse humanity and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven with the help of Professor X must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their nemesis.
Mr. Holmes
Mr. Holmes (2015)
, 1h43
Directed by Bill Condon
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Crime
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Sherlock Holmes films, Buddy films
Actors Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hiroyuki Sanada, Roger Allam, Patrick Kennedy
Roles Sherlock Holmes
Rating67% 3.3960353.3960353.3960353.3960353.396035
In 1947, the long-retired Sherlock Holmes, aged 93, lives in a remote Sussex farmhouse with his housekeeper, Mrs Munro, and her young son Roger. Having just returned from a trip to Hiroshima, he starts to use jelly made from the prickly ash plant he acquired there in an effort to improve his failing memory. Unhappy about his ex-partner Watson's fictionalisation of the story of Holmes's last case, the fictitious “The Adventure of the Dove Grey Glove”, he hopes to write his own account but is having trouble recalling the details. As Holmes spends time with Roger, showing him how to take care of the bees in the farmhouse's apiary, he comes to appreciate Roger's curiosity and intelligence and develops a paternal liking for him.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, 2h24
Directed by Andy Serkis, Peter Jackson
Origin USA
Genres Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Monde imaginaire, Middle-earth films, Films about dragons, Children's films
Actors Dean O'Gorman, Lee Pace, Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom
Roles Gandalf the Grey
Rating73% 3.699053.699053.699053.699053.69905
Bilbo and the Dwarves watch from the Lonely Mountain as the dragon Smaug sets Laketown ablaze, and its people flee. Bard the Bowman breaks out of prison, and eventually kills Smaug with the black arrow brought to him by his son Bain. Smaug's falling body crushes the fleeing Master of Laketown, who was escaping Laketown on a boat laden with the town's gold. Bard reluctantly becomes the new leader of the Laketown people as they seek refuge in the ruins of Dale, while Legolas travels to investigate Mount Gundabad with Tauriel. Thorin, now struck with "dragon sickness" over the vast treasure in the mountain, searches obsessively for the Arkenstone, which Bilbo had previously found but kept hidden. Thorin, hearing that people have come to Dale, orders the entrance of the Lonely Mountain sealed off.
X-Men: Days of Future Past, 2h11
Directed by Bryan Singer
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Fantastic, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Themes Politique, Films about religion, Transport films, Time travel films, Aviation films, Films set in the future, Superhero films, Political films, Dystopian films, Alternate history films, Super-héros inspiré de comics, Children's films, Robot films, Disaster films, White House in fiction
Actors Shawn Ashmore, Halle Berry, Daniel Cudmore, Adan Canto, Peter Dinklage, Fàn Bīngbīng (范冰冰)
Roles Magneto
Rating78% 3.9463653.9463653.9463653.9463653.946365
In the future, robots known as Sentinels are exterminating mutants and their human allies. A band of mutants, including Kitty Pryde, Colossus, Iceman, Bishop, Warpath, Blink and Sunspot, evade the Sentinels due to Pryde's ability to send a person's consciousness to the past. Pryde's group convenes with Logan, Storm, Professor Charles Xavier, and Erik Lehnsherr at a monastery in China. Pryde sends Logan's consciousness 50 years back in time to 1973 to prevent Mystique from assassinating Dr. Bolivar Trask, creator of the Sentinels. Following the assassination, Mystique was captured, and her DNA was used by Trask's company to improve the Sentinels, whose ability to adapt to any mutant power makes them almost invincible. Xavier and Lehnsherr advise Logan to find both of their younger selves for help.
The Wolverine, 2h6
Directed by James Mangold
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Aviation films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Superhero films, Yakuza films, Political films, Super-héros inspiré de comics, Children's films, Gangster films
Actors Hugh Jackman, Will Yun Lee, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rila Fukushima, Famke Janssen, Tao Okamoto
Roles Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (uncredited)
Rating66% 3.347353.347353.347353.347353.34735
In 1945, Logan is held in a Japanese POW camp near Nagasaki. During the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Logan rescues an officer named Ichirō Yashida and shields him from the blast.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, 2h41
Directed by Peter Jackson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about animals, Films about magic and magicians, Monde imaginaire, Middle-earth films, Films about dragons, Children's films
Actors Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Lee Pace
Roles Gandalf the Grey
Rating77% 3.8979553.8979553.8979553.8979553.897955
Thorin and his company are being pursued by Azog and his Orc party following the events of the previous film. They are ushered along by Gandalf to the nearby home of Beorn, a skin-changer who can take the form of the bear. That night, Azog is summoned to Dol Guldur by the Necromancer, who commands him to marshal his forces for war. Azog then delegates the hunt for Thorin to his son Bolg. The following day, Beorn escorts the company to the borders of Mirkwood, where Gandalf discovers Black Speech imprinted on an old ruin. This coincides with a telepathic message from Galadriel urging him to investigate the tombs of the Nazgûl. He warns the company to remain on the path and leaves them. Upon entering the forest they lose their way and are ensnared by giant spiders. Bilbo then sets about freeing the dwarves with the help of his recently acquired invisibility ring. He subsequently drops the Ring and first begins to understand its dark influence after he brutally kills a centipede-like creature to retrieve it.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 2h49
Directed by Peter Jackson
Origin USA
Genres Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about animals, Films about magic and magicians, Monde imaginaire, Middle-earth films, Films about dragons, Children's films
Actors Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Stephen Fry, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott
Roles Gandalf the Grey
Rating77% 3.8959353.8959353.8959353.8959353.895935
Approaching his 111th birthday, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins begins writing down the full story of his adventure 60 years earlier for the benefit of his nephew Frodo. This connects The Hobbit with The Lord of the Rings movie 10 years earlier which had a similar scene. Long before Bilbo's involvement, the Dwarf king Thrór brings an era of prosperity for his kin under the Lonely Mountain, far to the East, until the arrival of the dragon Smaug. Destroying the nearby town of Dale, Smaug drives the Dwarves out of their mountain and takes their hoard of gold. Thrór's grandson Thorin sees King Thranduil and his Wood-elves on a nearby hillside, and is dismayed when they take their leave rather than aid his people, resulting in Thorin's everlasting hatred of Elves.
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, 4h
Directed by Daniel Farrands
Origin USA
Genres Documentary, Horror
Themes Films about films, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry, Serial killer films, Documentary films about films
Actors Heather Langenkamp, Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Robert Shaye, Lisa Wilcox, John Saxon
Roles Self (archive footage)
Rating85% 4.2816754.2816754.2816754.2816754.281675
Depuis des décennies, Freddy Krueger s'est frayé un chemin à travers les rêves d'innombrables jeunes, effrayant plus d'un demi-milliard de dollars au box-office à travers huit films terrifiants et spectaculaires.
Julie & Julia, 2h3
Directed by Nora Ephron
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Romance
Themes Cooking films
Actors Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Linda Emond, Jane Lynch
Roles Scott Asheton
Rating69% 3.4976053.4976053.4976053.4976053.497605
In 2002, Julie Powell (Adams) is a young writer with an unpleasant job at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's call center, where she answers telephone calls from victims of the September 11 attacks and members of the general public complaining about the LMDC's controversial plans for rebuilding the World Trade Center. To do something she enjoys, she decides to cook every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) by Julia Child (Streep) in one year; Powell decides to write a blog to motivate herself and document her progress.